Philosophy of Religion
Dr Tom Kerns

Philosophy of Religion

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Study Questions for
Week One of
William James' Varieties of Religious Experience

1. Describe briefly the two orders of questions that James outlines in Lecture I
   
2. What kinds of religious writings will James be using in this study? ( Lec I)
   
3. James distinguishes between persons in whom Religion exists as a dull habit, and "geniuses" of the religious life. What does he mean by this distinction? (I)
   
4. Explain in detail what James means by "Medical Materialism" (Begin with the paragraph "Perhaps the commonest expression of this assumption..." and the following 6-7 pages)
   
5. How does James answer the charges of Medical Materialism as a form of Reductionism? (I)
   
6. What criteria does James suggest for judging the truth of religious beliefs? (I)
   
7. What counts as a "religious life," according to James? (III)
   
8. What do you think James is trying to show in Lecture III?
   
9. What does James mean by "the convincingness of these feelings of reality?" (III)
   
10. Explain what James means by "The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness?"

 

 

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